The Problems With Gift-Giving
by samalane
Summary: Or 'In Which Jee Discovers That Christmas is Not All That Bad'. Spending time with Zuko is always an experience, and Christmas Eve is no exception. Jeeko.


A/N: Written as a random Christmas fic over at princebender! I have to give massive credit and thanks to DracoMaleficium for allowing me use of her Substitute!verse. It's not in any way related to whatever she will be doing over in her fic, but I thought it would be fun to just indulge in some shameless cuddly AU fic and love her world so much that I had to borrow it!

Also a massive thank you to Anankhe, who really planted the seed and helped come up with pretty much everything!

* * *

_'The Problems With Gift-Giving'_, or '_In Which__ Jee discovers discovers that Christmas is not that bad.'_

* * *

Christmas was not a holiday that Jee particularly enjoyed. In fact he rather disliked it and had earned himself a reputation among his coworkers as a bitter old scrooge. Jee resented this, as he felt Pakku suited the name far better but it turned out that the man loved Christmas like he loved very few things in life. The school was disgustingly festive and Jee had been desperate for the winter break so he could at least escape from the reds and greens and gold and bloody paper snowflakes.

It stood to reason, then, that Christmas at the Jasmine Dragon would be an interesting affair. Iroh Xi knew how to throw a damn good party and Jee had attended the faculty party both years now. But he hadn't intended on spending Christmas Eve there, with all of Iroh's family (one nephew) and his friends (what seemed like most of the staff at Flowing Creek and a few others from the Asian District). Jee probably wouldn't have attended at all, likely would have begged off sick except for the fact that he wasn't going to be around for Christmas itself and Zuko had looked so nervous when he had asked Jee to spend Christmas Eve with him.

So he had agreed. That brat was spoiled and Jee was a pushover.

Granted, the evening hadn't turned out to be all bad, he thought with some amusement as he watched Zuko maneuver his way through the crowds with two mugs of what was likely alcohol in his hands. It seemed that even Iroh could be persuaded to forgo tea on special events and Zuko had been sneaking himself alcohol all evening. Jee didn't care much if Zuko drank, as long as he was around to watch the kid. Besides, they were walking home, because Zuko had made it very clear he intended to drink his way through the evening and Jee would be dammed if he were going to remain sober while the brat got drunk.

It probably wouldn't do much to endear Iroh to him, but the man seemed fairly occupied with his own alcohol.

"Is there rum in yours?" Jee asked, leaning over to see what Zuko had gotten himself. It looked like hot chocolate and smelled of rum.

Zuko smiled at him smugly and took a sip.

"Yes," he said baldly. "Jin's been supplying me. She said she doesn't care if you're taking me home," Jee liked Jin well enough but thought that she was a rather bad influence on Zuko – he could not, however, entirely object to her influence because she had helped Zuko loosen up considerably and was one of the few people who hadn't been extremely bothered by their relationship. In fact, she had proven to be an actual friend of Zuko's, which had surprised everybody – possibly even Zuko himself, the idiot.

Jee smiled at him fondly and took a sip of his own drink – cider. Good, _real_, cider.

During last year's faculty Christmas extravaganza Zuko had been playing the role of a surly and taciturn waiter. The evening had been fun, even with the cranky brat refilling their drinks and glaring at Jee intermittently, but he had to say that it was much better to have the kid sitting beside him, their forearms pressed together on the table. It was especially entertaining to hear Zuko's utterly asinine and outrageous remarks as they observed the party and the other guests who were making fools out of themselves.

It wasn't even too uncomfortable with half of the staff in attendance, many of whom were shooting he and Zuko inscrutable looks, as though they expected to two of them to start going at it against the table at any moment. Jee was almost offended – he had standards, after all, and there was no way in hell he was getting busy with Zuko when Iroh was within fifty feet of them. Or inside the same building, for that matter.

There was relatively terrible singing going on, while those who had brought instruments were gathering at the far end of the room, squabbling about which songs to sing – carols, Jee thought. The scene made him smile as he remembered Christmases past, particularly those during his navy years. There had been a whole lot of them who were skilled with instruments and had taken the opportunity to make music whenever the chance arose.

Those had been good times, he thought fondly.

Zuko shifted closer to him and he decided that although it wasn't the navy, it wasn't bad – he didn't care much for the holiday anyways, it was the camaraderie that had been important to him. With Zuko beside him and flushed with the warmth of alcohol he felt unexpectedly content. He hadn't thought he would feel like this ever again; he was lucky, he thought as a he took a long sip of his drink. That brat could be a nuisance and a pest and downright irritating sometimes, but he could also be a great deal of fun and oftentimes made up for his foul temper with certain pleasurable pastimes.

Plus, he _tried_, which often made up for a lot of things.

Jee had just turned to try and steal a quick kiss from the boy when Ming decided to show up and slid into the seat beside Zuko, grinning like a maniac.

"Oi!" she said loudly. "You should get up there and sing. A good old classic!"

Jee laughed at her.

"No," he said. He heard Zuko snicker and raised an eyebrow as the kid buried his face in his mug. Ming rolled her eyes.

"There better not be alcohol in there, Xi," she said, largely drunk herself. "Or I'll have to tell your uncle!"

Zuko laughed aloud this time.

"Uncle is drunk," he stated, gesturing grandly to his Uncle, who was gathering up a group of unfortunate victims for a round of merry making. Jee idly wondered what the old man would force them to sing.

Ming chuckled.

"Come on, Heng. Let's go up there and sing a real Christmas song."

"Please," Jee said. "You're too young to know any classics."

"I resent that," Ming said with all of the righteous indignation of the considerably drunk. "I know The Pogues. Come and sing it with me, I'm sure a navy man like yourself knows their song," Jee did, in fact, know what song she was speaking of and knew it well – it had been a particular favourite among his friends, especially while drunk and on Christmas Eve.

But he refused to get up and sing it in front of Zuko, who was looking between the two of them with an inappropriately gleeful expression.

"Go recruit somebody younger," Jee told her, motioning her away with his hand. "I'm too old to be up there."

"Right," Ming drawled, winking sloppily at Zuko. "And I'm sure your little friend here feels just the same."

"Go sing," Zuko urged. "I want to see you sing!"

"I know you do," Jee muttered, taking another large gulp of his drink. The brat had way too much blackmail on him already. Besides, the song was largely sacrosanct and he refused to sing it without beer and a number of drunken sailors.

"Go sing it for me," Jee told Ming, who was eyeing Zuko's drink like she wanted it for herself. "Where's your date? Go get him to sing it."

"I came stag," Ming admitted. "I only said all that so you would take pity on me and be my date. But I guess Zuko beat me to it," Zuko looked a little affronted and largely confused. It was his default expression around the woman whom, besides Jin, had been one of the few people who had accepted their relationship with the least amount of difficulty.

Jee appreciated her support, really, he did. He also appreciated her humor and her wit, something he hadn't seen much of since leaving the navy.

But she could be so damn _pushy_.

"Alright then, go sing it with Iroh," Jee amended. "I'm sure he would love the chance to sing with you. You know how he feels about ladies."

Ming laughed out loud and Zuko groaned in dismay.

"You're right, that old goat would _love_ a chance to sing with me!"

Jee was still sober enough to be glad that everybody was largely drunk and therefore easy to manipulate.

"Go sing it for me," Jee said again. "It's been a while since I've heard it sung with alcohol present."

"I will!" Ming exclaimed, standing up so quickly that she almost knocked the chair over. "And it will be the best rendition you will ever hear, I kid you not!" And with remarkable grace she made her way over to Iroh, throwing out her hands and exclaiming loudly over the din of the festivities.

"You're a bastard," Zuko said warmly. Jee smiled a little.

"Not at all. I won't mock her for it. Much."

"What if _I _sang with you?" Zuko asked, nonsensically.

"Would you really get up on stage and sing with me?" Jee asked disbelievingly. Zuko grinned crookedly at

him and shook his head.

"No!"

He hadn't thought so. Jee rolled his eyes and watched as Iroh helped Ming up onto the little stage they had set up for karaoke. There were live instruments being handled and Jee watched a little jealously as a guitar was pulled out –that had always been _his_ instrument– and Ming took up a microphone next to Iroh.

There was a bit of shuffling and then one of Iroh's older, tea-loving friends sat at the keyboard that had been set up. In no time at all the familiar chords of the only Christmas song Jee had ever enjoyed were filling the shop.

As a rule, Jee generally hated Christmas. But he enjoyed drinking, enjoyed singing and enjoyed the song. So he smiled as Iroh and Ming sang to one another, gesturing grandly and wildly even while insulting one another. There was no awkwardness between them and their enthusiasm, coupled with the song's popularity, spurred many of the other guests to sing along.

Jee was just drunk enough to join in and sling an arm around Zuko, dragging the brat in close against his side. Zuko laughed and allowed it to happen, which was nice because Zuko usually refrained from any sort of affection in front of his uncle or the company of his friends and this had turned out to be a considerably nice evening, one that Jee was enjoying more than he had thought he would.

And it was particularly nice to spend the evening with Zuko, who was as more relaxed than Jee ever saw him in public, laughing and watching with obvious amusement as his uncle and Ming cheerfully sang to one another.

It was so nice, in fact, that he almost wished he wasn't leaving the next day. If spending the holidays with the brat meant Jee got to see him relax and have fun it might actually be worth suffering through the banality of the holiday.

_Definitely, _he thought as Zuko laid his head down on his shoulder. _Definitely_ _worth_ _it_.

* * *

Zuko continued to hum the song well into the evening, long after Ming and Iroh had received enthusiastic applause and calls for more – there had been two more rounds after that, until Ming had firmly put her foot down and declared that it was time to continue drinking. Things had devolved from that point on and Zuko had grown increasingly uncomfortable as the older generations grew rowdier and drunker.

Apparently the brat couldn't deal with other people's affection. Granted, Jee himself had been largely surprised to see Piandao waltzing Jeong Jeong around the room, encouraged wildly by Ming. It had been at that point when he and Zuko decided that they had done their share of socializing for the night and were allowed to disappear and spend the rest of their evening together and alone, the way Jee had wanted to from the very beginning.

Walking had been a stupid idea though. They should have called a cab, rather than pick their way down the streets. The damp hardly bothered Jee anymore, after the years spent at sea, but he was too old to be out wandering the streets at near midnight while it was snowing.

He figured Zuko was still tipsy and cheerful enough to allow some sort of public affection, so Jee wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders, pulling him closer for extra warmth. Zuko smiled up at him, his pale skin tinged pink by the cold.

"That was fun," he said relatively cheerfully, leaning into Jee's embrace. "I thought it would really suck, but it turned out to be okay in the end."

"That's because you were drinking," Jee pointed out.

"Probably."

Walking past the crowded pubs and restaurants they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Not for the first time, Jee marveled that he was here half a year later, still involved with a boy less than half his age. And that said boy had not grown sick of him yet.

_Well_, he mused, Zuko wasn't really a boy. A kid in comparison to Jee himself, but he was an adult, and he had been forced to attempt the role of adulthood far too early. It was nice to see him like this: happy and comfortable and tucked nicely under Jee's arm.

Anxious to get home, he decided on taking them through the park in an attempt to shorten the walk a little. It wasn't so late out and although it seemed like a fair amount of people were out for the evening, the sidewalks weren't as busy as they usually were. It was a nice evening, despite the chill and even Jee couldn't deny the festivity in the air.

Which was stupid because Jee hated Christmas.

He could appreciate the simple beauty of the gently falling snow though, and the way their breath misted out in front of them in the brisk air.

Zuko had pulled up the hood of his ridiculously expensive winter coat and had he been any one else, Jee would have said that he was snuggling into Jee's side, gripping the hand hanging over his shoulders with one of his own gloved ones. Leather. The brat had expensive taste.

The sidewalks had been cleared that morning, but there was a fresh layer of snow coating them now, crunching under their boots as they walked. Zuko had grown up in warmer states, Jee knew. He wondered, stunted as Zuko's childhood was, if he had ever had a chance to enjoy the cold and the winter weather as Jee once had. There was something to be said about winter and the memories of being shoved out the door and forced to spend the entire day outside. It seemed like an integral part of childhood and it had certainly toughened Jee up so that during the winter basic training wasn't quite as horrible as it could have been.

There were a few people out enjoying the night. Couples, mostly, holding hands and murmuring. A group of kids maybe around Zuko's age, throwing snow and fooling around. Their shouts reverberated in the frosty air and it wasn't annoying, as Jee usually would have considered it – they were playing, enjoying themselves. Likely drunk, Jee thought with a grin, remembering his own adventures during shore leave, as he and his shipmates had made their way from bar to bar, stopping long enough only to warm up before leaving for the next place.

He looked at Zuko, who was frowning a little at the kids. That brat was still slow to make friends and he hadn't done much other than study occasionally with a couple of people from his classes. For a moment Jee felt guilty; Zuko should have been out with friends, drinking and playing in the snow like the others in the park. He shouldn't have to spend Christmas Eve with a cranky old man who hated the holiday.

But Zuko sighed and shook his head, slinging his free arm around Jee's waist. It was a surprisingly sweet act coming from Zuko, who was still self-conscious and highly aware of the impropriety of their relationship – he didn't like attention. Jee didn't really blame him for that, but it was nice to be able to spend time out in public like a normal couple.

He then considered what he had just thought and decided he most definitely needed to go visit Matt and Shun because he was turning into a sappy old man.

"I don't understand how people find that fun," Zuko said. The brat found very few things in life fun so Jee wasn't surprised. "It's cold and wet."

"That's kind of the point," Jee told him. "It's more fun to dodge when there's a threat of discomfort. Plus everybody loves tormenting their friends," Zuko craned his head around and raised his eyebrow.

"My sister," he said slowly. "Tried to play once, when we were in Europe. There was a rock in the snow,"

Jee was not surprised. A year and a bit between siblings was hardly an age gap and if anything, Zuko often seemed to have taken the classic role of the younger sibling. His sister was …a force to be reckoned with, to say the least.

"Ah," Jee said delicately. He paused as an idea slowly came to mind. "So I suppose you wouldn't want to play with me, then?"

Zuko tried and failed to look at him with a stern expression.

"I just told you that my sister hit me in the face with a rock the last time I tried that."

"In all honesty, it happens. I've been hit with ice a few times."

Zuko shook his head.

"You people are insane," he muttered, and Jee wondered whom it was that he was referring to. "I'm not playing in the snow. It's cold and wet and childish."

That kind of protest usually meant that the brat actually really wanted to do it, no matter how much he said otherwise.

"I understand, you're scared of getting hit with another rock," Jee said amiably. "Although you do know that I wouldn't do that to you, right?"

"I'm not scared!" Zuko replied hotly. Jee said nothing and forced himself to keep a straight face. "I'm just cold and I want to go home!"

Had he not been so focused on tormenting his lover, Jee would have grinned like a fool – so his apartment was home now, was it?

"Of course," Jee said pleasantly. "Come along then, we'll get you home and wrapped up in a blanket so you can open your presents."

He heard Zuko splutter in outrage as he dislodged himself from Jee's side. Jee chuckled and continued on, fully expecting the brat to catch up and try to tackle him to the ground. He might have been getting on in years, but he wasn't entirely opposed to having some fun in the snow and besides, it was always a pleasurable experience to witness Zuko doing something as plebeian as _playing. _He had learnt fairly early on that roughhousing, which Zuko enjoyed, almost always led to more pleasurable activities.

However, he wasn't expecting the messy splat of snow that hit the back of his head and trickled down the collar of his coat.

He yelped and spun around. Zuko had already turned tail and was running across the park grounds.

_That_ _little_ _shit_.

Jee reached down and scooped up a handful of snow, pressing it into a ball as he took off after the brat.

Zuko didn't seem to understand the mechanics of a snowball fight, as he ran straight without attempting to dodge. He was an easy target - the snow hit him in the back of the head and he yelped in shock.

"No rocks!?" Jee yelled, scooping up more snow and keeping a little lower to the ground, in case Zuko decided to attack him.

"Fuck you!" Zuko shouted back, but he was laughing and scooping up his own handful of snow, racing back over to Jee and throwing it wildly. No finesse at all. He didn't even know to press it into a ball.

Jee ducked and twisted, throwing another snowball at Zuko's chest.

"The point is to try and hit me!" he taunted. Zuko growled something and scooped up more snow, pressing it together into a sort of misshapen lump this time.

"Stay still!" he barked, aiming a little more accurately – the lump hit Jee's shoulder. He laughed a little breathlessly – he hadn't fooled around in the snow like this in a long time. It felt good, and felt even better to see Zuko grinning wildly and laughing.

"I think I might have felt a rock in that one!"

"Shut up!" Zuko dove at him, flinging a handful of snow into Jee's face. He laughed, largely out of shock and then yelped as Zuko collided with him. They went crashing into a snowbank and Zuko landed heavily on Jee, winding him for a moment.

Not so badly that he couldn't retaliate, though. He grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it into Zuko's face, who was getting up onto his hands and knees. He made a noise _this_ close to a shriek and Jee chuckled as Zuko shook his head and lifted one hand to wipe the snow from his face.

"Asshole!" Zuko gasped out, but he didn't sound too mad. In fact he was grinning without restraint, his face flushed and his eyes bright, clumps of snow clinging to his hair.

He looked happy and adorable, so Jee hauled him in by the back of the neck and kissed him, his hot mouth a welcome contrast to the frigid air and wet snow. Zuko opened his mouth with a happy sounding moan and Jee could taste the rum he had been drinking. Kissing the brat like this was almost like taking a shot of alcohol, and Jee felt himself warm down to the very tips of his toes. Zuko made an enthusiastic noise and rolled his hips against Jee's – it was difficult through the thick parka and jeans, but Jee was almost certain that Zuko was growing hard.

Having a younger lover was nice, especially for this reason.

"Let's do it right here," Zuko said breathlessly as he pulled away. "Let's fuck, right now."

_Jesus_ _Christ_, Jee thought bemusedly.

"We're in a park," he pointed out. Zuko arched his brow.

"So? There's nobody around. They're all back up the hill," he rolled his hips down again and it felt nice, but Jee wasn't entirely certain he could manage much in the cold like this.

Although Zuko was right: the voices of the kids from earlier were distant now, echoing strangely over the park and they were quite alone here, hidden by the mound of snow they were laying against. If anyone were to come down the walk though –

They would have to be careful. And quiet.

"Come _on_," Zuko moaned, rocking his hips. "It'll be fun."

"It's cold," Jee said. "And wet. My pants are getting wet."

Zuko sighed, as though Jee was the one being unreasonable, and unzipped his jacket before pulling at Jee's arms and rolling them over so it was Zuko who was laying in the snow beneath him.

"Kneel on my jacket then," he said, nudging at Jee's thighs with his hands. "Then you won't get wet,"

He really wanted it. He wanted Jee to fuck him in the snow.

_Well._ Jee supposed the kid had never done anything like this, and in his opinion a life just wasn't well lived unless you had experienced at least one good romp in the snow.

"You are insane," Jee remarked, kneeling on the open ends of Zuko's jacket. "Wouldn't you rather head back and fuck in a nice, warm bed?"

"We can do that after," Zuko said blithely, smirking a little. "But I want you right now."

He wasn't fucking the brat out here, Jee decided. There was no way in hell he was undoing his pants and freezing his bits off.

"Later," Jee murmured. Before Zuko had a chance to complain he kissed him again, swallowing up any noise of protest. Zuko made an aggrieved sound but opened up his mouth pliantly as he hiked his legs up around Jee's waist, rocking his hips upwards.

Eager, he was so _eager_. That was nice, it felt good to know that the brat wanted him that badly. It was a tremendous boost to Jee's ego, to know that Zuko liked him enough to be this _eager_.

Zuko moaned into Jee's mouth and he took a moment to appreciate the feeling of it, the way it reverberated. He pressed a thigh hard against Zuko's groin and earned himself an enthusiastic grunt. The brat broke the kiss and threw his head back into the snow bank, moaning out in a cloud of white. He was arching his back as he tried to press closer to Jee, his thin shirt tight against his chest and with his hood still pulled up like that he looked stunning, the fur trim framing his face and in contrast with the snow.

Jee couldn't even think about the cold seeping through Zuko's jacket and settling into his knees, when the brat looked that good. The kid was gorgeous as he ground himself against Jee's thigh; mouth open and red and he looked _damn_ good spread out against the snow like that.

"You look so good, Zuko," he blurted out, without really thinking. "Sexy. You're so good."

Zuko made a high noise in the back of his throat and grasped at Jee's shoulder with one hand, the other sliding down between their bodies.

"So do you," he panted. "You too, come on. It's good, I'll make it good," Jee chuckled and then groaned as the brat rubbed his hand against Jee's dick, which was beginning to take an interest in things despite the cold. Still, the idea of undoing his pants was close to horrifying and he had no interest in coming in them like a boy. He reached down and caught Zuko's hand, pulling it back up above the brat's head and pinning it into the snow.

"Come _on_," Zuko whined. "I'm horny and drunk. I want to fuck."

That was all the more reason not to do this out here, Jee thought. Although he couldn't deny the thrill of pleasure that shot through him as he imagined spreading Zuko open and fucking him into the snow bank, forcing him to stay quiet lest some unfortunate couple or family discover them in the middle of the act.

Christ, he was too old to even be thinking like this. Bareback was always a fun experience, but it was too damn cold to take the time that was necessary to fuck Zuko raw. The snow was too cold and the temperature was too low and Jee was an old man, dammit. As exciting as the prospect was he enjoyed his comforts – namely the warmth of his apartment.

Although tormenting him with cold fingers sounded more than fun.

With Zuko busy rutting against Jee's thigh it was easy to push the brat's thin shirt up with one cold hand and brush over a nipple with equally cold fingers.

Zuko yipped and his grinding faltered.

"Cold!"

Jee grinned.

"I know," he said, feeling satisfied. "You're the one who wanted to do this out here."

Zuko hissed and tried to get his hands under Jee's jacket, in retaliation he supposed, but he wasn't an idiot like the brat and had kept his done up against the cold. Jee ran his hands down Zuko's chest and enjoyed the way he shivered.

He stroked the soft skin of Zuko's navel, running his fingers down over the fine trail of hair that disappeared under the waist of his jeans.

"_Jee_," Zuko moaned. "Get on with it,"

Jee pinched him a little. "Brat," he said affectionately. Zuko made a soft sound and rubbed himself hard against Jee's thigh.

It was easy to pop the button on Zuko's jeans and drag the zip down, to slip his hand under denim and cotton and grip him with his other hand - _colder,_ he thought wickedly. Zuko nearly shrieked and bucked his hips, tossing his head against the snow.

"_Fuck_," he bit out, shifting his hips as though he didn't know whether to press closer or further into Jee's grip. "Fuck, _Jee!_"

Yes, this was good, this was very good. It didn't matter that Jee was only halfway hard and unlikely to go much further, watching Zuko was perfectly fine with Jee, that brat was an _excellent_ show. He had been a good show since the very beginning. Jee was perfectly happy with just watching, because Zuko was an exhibitionist, the little brat – no matter what he said. He absolutely adored putting on a performance for Jee and this was definitely one, this was definitely meant for Jee to watch and enjoy and if he weren't so focused on bringing the brat to climax he might be able to fully comprehend the significance of the event.

All he could really focus on was how good Zuko looked and how hot it was, how sweet those soft little begging sounds were, how distinctly dirty it was, with the sounds of cheering and singing and general revelry echoing from over the hill. It was exciting, as Zuko arched his back and rocked his hips into Jee's hands and sighed shakily into the cold winter air, his breath coming out in white plumes. Anybody could come around the bend and hear them, anyone could look over the hill and see Zuko fucking himself into Jee's hand, his legs spread wide and his shirt hiked up his chest.

It was hot, it was _so_ hot and it was good, but the cold was starting to sink into him and Zuko was starting to sweat – they needed to finish soon and get home, where they could cuddle up in blankets and continue things in a more comfortable fashion. So he brought his free hand down and behind, pressing in between Zuko's legs with his thumb. Zuko jerked violently and a hard cry cracked out of his mouth.

"_Oh_!" he gasped, wriggling is hips. "Do that again!" Jee pulled Zuko's legs over his thighs, before pressing hard again. Zuko let out another hoarse cry and Jee went back to working him with both hands. It was much easier with the brat pulled close and Zuko's rutting lost its rhythm, his hips jerking unsteadily into Jee's hands.

"Oh, Jee, _Jee_, _please_ - "

"Come on," Jee murmured, pressing hard between his legs again. "Come for me."

Zuko stuttered over a curse before his hips jackknifed up and he came with a hard cry. It was intensely erotic and had he been fully hard, Jee was certain he could have come from that alone.

Zuko shuddered a little before relaxing bonelessly against the snow, panting heavily. He was pliant as Jee pulled his pants back up before pulling down the brat's shirt back down.

Jee kissed him then, licking into his warm mouth and Zuko moaned a little, tilting his head into the kiss. He smiled a little when he pulled away then pressed a quick kiss to the tip of the brat's cold nose.

"There," he said gently. "Now we can go home and you can wake up tomorrow and whine because you've caught a cold."

"Shut up," Zuko said breathlessly.

He looked good. He looked debauched and warm and happy and Jee felt regret at having to leave the brat behind tomorrow. As difficult as Zuko could often be, he made things worth it more often than not – and not only because of his enthusiasm and skills in the bedroom, but because of his sincerity and eagerness to please. He was a good kid, underneath it all, and with a sudden warm rush Jee was glad that the brat had pursued him, even after Jee had warned him off.

It was at that precise moment that Jee realized he was in far deeper than he had even known. The realization wasn't as unsettling as he might have imagined it to be.

"I'm going to miss you," he admitted, pulling at Zuko's arms to help him sit up.

"You'll only be gone for a few days. You'll be back before you know it," Zuko said slowly, as though he didn't truly believe the words he was saying. "Besides, when was the last time you saw them? You deserve to spend Christmas with them."

Jee's real concern was that Zuko thought that he didn't want to spend Christmas with him. Jee did, he _so_ did, but the kid was right – when had he last seen his friends? Months ago now, and he missed them, dammit.

He thought both Zuko and Iroh might appreciate the chance to spend the holiday alone, at any rate. Or at least Iroh would – try as he might, things were still new and awkward and he was certain that Iroh needed some time to spend alone with Zuko.

His reasoning had made sense at the time – Zuko had nodded along and grudgingly admitted that Jee was right. He didn't ever say otherwise, but Jee was fairly certain that Zuko had rather wanted to spend Christmas with him. Which was incredibly heartwarming and adorable in ways that Jee hadn't been quite ready to consider.

"Well," Jee said. "I suppose there's always New Years, too," he grinned a little. "I'll kiss you when the clock strikes twelve, if you like."

That seemed to snap Zuko out of his funk.

"Who said I wanted you to?" he asked with a sudden, violent shudder. Jee said nothing and set about righting the brat's jacket.

"Maybe _I_ want to," he said instead, eyeing the pleasant flush that overtook Zuko's face. Open affection never ceased to cause a certain level of bashfulness that was at once endearing and largely out of place on such a brash person.

"Come on," Jee said, helping Zuko to his feet. "Let's go home. You've got presents under the tree that need to be opened."

Zuko snorted.

"You mean under the _shrub_?" he asked scathingly. Jee frowned.

"Tree," It might have been tiny but that was precisely the point – Jee didn't need a whole fucking tree for just he and Zuko. The brat should be thankful he had even bothered to go out and buy one. He wouldn't have, but Zuko had complained that Jee was a bitter old man who didn't know how to have fun and enjoy the holidays.

This was entirely true. Jee had politely refrained from commenting that Zuko was just as bitter and hateful as Jee himself was.

"Whatever," Zuko scoffed, but he did look a bit more excited at the thought of presents. "We're opening them tonight?"

"Yes," Jee said. "My flight is early tomorrow morning," he dearly hoped that the weather stayed nice, because Zuko was supposed to drive him to the airport and there was no way in hell he was letting him drive in bad weather with only two years experience.

"I know, I'm driving you," Zuko tugged his hood back into place from where it had been dislodged from his thrashing and looked up at Jee from inside the fur lining.

He smiled a little and then kissed Jee sweetly, pushing up onto his toes to cover the remaining inches between them.

"Thanks," Zuko said. "I've always wanted to do that!"

* * *

Zuko had wasted no time in swiftly changing clothes and huddling up on the couch underneath a knitted monstrosity that Jee's sister had given him as a gift years ago. He still wasn't sure if the sentiment had been sincere or mocking.

He had the television turned to something Jee didn't particularly care to learn the name of. His hair was curled a little at the ends, where the snow had wet it and it had dried strangely. Jee smiled a little at the sight as he handed Zuko a mug of coffee and sat down beside him.

"You going to open gifts or what?" There were exactly four gifts under the little tree. Jee knew for a fact that Zuko had plenty more gifts at his Uncle's place and therefore felt no guilt about the lack of presents. What the hell was he supposed to buy for Zuko anyways, who had most of what he wanted anyways and a wealthy uncle to spoil him?

Jee thought of his gift, that one, _stupid_ one that was long overdue and something he should have given to Zuko months ago if only because it was terribly embarrassing and sappy to give it to him for Christmas.

It was too late too back out now, though. Surely if he tried to hide the gift Zuko would notice – the brat was observant and annoying like that.

"I guess," Zuko said. "I only have one gift for you though."

"One gift is perfectly fine. I don't even like Christmas."

Zuko snorted.

"I know. You've made that very clear. Anyway, open yours first. I don't want to sit around and wait any longer."

Ah, so the brat was nervous because he didn't know if Jee would like his gift. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep from grinning like a fool.

The fact that Zuko had even gotten him a gift was a gift in and of itself. Jee was fairly certain he would like anything Zuko got him if only because it was _Zuko_ who had gotten it for him.

When the brat made no move to uncurl himself from his cocoon Jee sighed and got back up off the couch, gathering the meager supply of presents and tossing Zuko's at him.

"Here, brat," he said. He looked down at the box he was holding and was surprised to see how well wrapped it was. The ones he had gotten for Zuko were misshapen lumps wrapped in gift-wrap that Jee had stolen from Ming's office. "You didn't wrap this yourself, did you?"

Zuko looked vaguely guilty.

"No, I got one of those gift-wrapping stalls to do it."

_Brat_.

Zuko swiftly tore apart the wrapping on one and unearthed a gift card. He laughed.

"Really?" he asked. "You wrapped a _gift_ _card_?"

Jee shrugged.

"I stole Ming's wrapping paper, I had to make it worth it," Zuko eyed the card like it was something dangerous.

"Is this some kind of hint?"

"_Yes_," Jee said emphatically. "You and I are going to buy you some decent music. There's still hope for you yet," Zuko rolled his eyes but looked happy enough.

"Open yours," he said absently, running a finger along the rough packaging of what Jee knew to be a video game that Iroh hadn't purchased for him. Zuko hadn't originally struck him as the gaming type, but the kid was full of surprises. Mostly pleasant, but sometimes disconcerting.

Jee carefully ran a finger under the end flap, frowning a little when he discovered that the paper had been glued together. Who the hell wrapped gifts using what looked like a glue gun? Still, he took his time and Zuko had already unwrapped and discovered the game with a happy grin on his face by the time Jee had managed to get he wrapping off.

A clothing box. He idly wondered if Zuko had gotten him a shirt and found himself hoping to God that Zuko was not actually as unimaginative as that. He was plenty creative in the bedroom, surely he had some to spare?

"_How_ did you know?" Zuko drawled, waving the game at him. Jee allowed himself a smirk and shrugged.

"Lucky guess, I suppose," Zuko smiled and glanced down at the still unopened box in Jee's hands.

"Open it. Stop making me wait."

It probably shouldn't be so satisfying to make Zuko squirm. But it was.

"You didn't get me a shirt, did you?" he asked, teasing, because he was fairly certain that Zuko did not, in fact, get him a shirt. Indeed, Zuko glared at him.

"What do you take me for? Open the damn box," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Jee replied, earning himself an exaggerated eye roll. He lifted the top of the box and halted as he stared at item within.

"Oh, wow," he said, throwing back the lid and running fingers over soft black leather. It was incredibly soft – the type that was insanely expensive and he glanced at the brat, who looked mostly pleased but still a little uncertain. "Jesus, Zuko."

"I thought you would look good in a leather jacket," Zuko replied, clearly aiming for nonchalance and mostly succeeding. "And uh, I wanted to get you something nice. Um, because …to thank you, I guess. And because I like you."

Jee didn't bother fighting the wide grin that was overtaking his features.

"Because you like me, huh?" he said, aiming for casual as lifted the jacket from the box and eyed the leather. Fuck, the thing must have cost an insane amount of money. The brat was fairly well off, considering his uncle's income and the nice chunk of money his mother had left to him, but to be given something so nice –

Jee's own gifts felt kind of pathetic, in comparison.

"Uh, yes. I like you. Try it on, make sure it fits."

That was basically an _I_ _love_ _you_ in Zuko speech, so Jee obediently stood up and pulled the jacket on over his sweater. He didn't think he'd ever touched something so nice, let alone own it, and he'd worn his fair share of leather in the past.

"It fits," Zuko said, abandoning his last gift on the couch as he stood up and straightened the coat on Jee's shoulders. "I was a little worried it wouldn't, since you're bigger than me," He smoothed his hands over Jee's shoulders and then zipped the coat up, smiling happily. "It looks good on you."

Jee knew it did. He had always pulled off leather well. But this was a little different. _Zuko_ had given him this.

"This is – it's gorgeous," Zuko was still smiling like a fool and it was strange to see him smile for such a long period of time but it made Jee's heart soar. Who would have known that it took so little to make the brat so happy?

"Go look in the mirror. You look good," Zuko pushed him over to the mirrored doors of the front closet and grinned at their reflections, smoothing his hands down Jee's chest to get rid nonexistent wrinkles.

"It's amazing quality," Jee said, running a hand over the arm. The leather was buttery soft, like it had been worn for years already. Zuko put his chin on Jee's shoulder and hugged him from behind.

"It smells nice too," he murmured and it did, Jee had always loved the smell of leather and this was definitely the nicest piece he had ever owned. Matt would shit bricks when he saw it.

The thought made him grin.

"I can definitely say the men will be jealous," he murmured, trying to see as much of the jacket as he could without dislodging Zuko, who was pressed warmly against his back.

"Good," Zuko said. "…So, you like it, right?"

Jee chuckled.

"Of course I like it! I love it. It's the nicest thing I've ever been given."

Zuko smiled and nuzzled his face against Jee's neck, pressing a soft kiss to the skin underneath his jaw.

"I'm glad," he murmured.

"You should be. I'll be the most stylish member of the faculty now," Zuko laughed and Jee decided he could probably spend the rest of the night thanking the brat for the gift and making him feel good about it. However… "You still have another gift. It's not as nice as this, though."

"That's okay," Zuko said. "If it's from you…" Evidently he couldn't finish the sentence as the inherent sappiness of the statement overwhelmed him.

"Go open it then," Jee was a little disappointed to let him go, but he watched as Zuko trotted back to the couch and picked up the last gift, which looked far too much like a ring box, Jee realized belatedly.

_Dammit_.

Zuko looked up at him with a suspicious expression.

"I swear, it's not what you think it is."

Zuko's expression shifted to uncertainty and he looked up at Jee and then back to the gift before tugging at the wrapping, which consisted of maybe thirty percent paper and seventy percent tape.

It was warm, with a sweater and the jacket on, so Jee lovingly undid the zipper and took a moment to hold the coat in his hands and appreciate the soft leather. Damn, the brat was good. He had good taste, which shouldn't have been surprising because Jee had seen him dress up for various functions and the kid cleaned up well.

"Oh," Zuko said. "…Keys."

Jee cleared his throat a little awkwardly and laid the jacket over the back of the couch.

"For the apartment, since you spend most of your time here anyways. That way you don't have to wait for me to come home or pick you up,"

Zuko looked up at him with obvious surprise. Jee felt distinctly embarrassed and had to force himself to maintain eye contact with the kid.

"Keys …to your apartment?"

"Yeah. You've practically moved in anyway."

Jee was a fully grown man nearing forty. There was no reason he should be so nervous about gifting his eighteen-year-old lover with a set of keys to his apartment.

But he was, undeniably so, as Zuko looked back down at the set of keys in his hand with a surprised expression. Jee refrained from fidgeting or looking away while Zuko contemplated his admittedly lackluster gift. But dammit, Jee wasn't good with nice clothes or interesting toys – although he had to admit he had considered sex toys if only because Zuko was so damn _curious_ about everything, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to enter a shop and buy things in person.

He wondered if he could persuade Zuko to.

All thoughts of alternate gifts and sex toys were blown out of his head when Zuko looked up and _beamed_ at him, like he had been gifted with the most precious treasure in the history of the world. He looked like he couldn't decide between laughing and crying and instead simply smiled hugely.

"You gave me the keys to your apartment," he said again. Jee finally felt the knot of nervous tension in his stomach unwind a little. Zuko looked happy.

"Yes."

He wasn't quite prepared for the fierce embrace he found himself wrapped in as Zuko all but threw himself at him. The keys dug into his back a little, but Zuko was hugging him and laughing a little and certainly seemed very happy.

"You're stupid, this is better than a jacket," he squeezed Jee tightly. "_Thank_ _you_."

"My pleasure," Jee replied breathlessly. "I'm glad you like it," he was indeed very glad – he still wasn't certain that it wasn't the cheesiest gift in the history of cheesy gifts and he knew that once Matt and Shun found out they would never let him live it down.

"I really like it," Zuko said, and then he kissed Jee, hard but with much enthusiasm. It wasn't exactly difficult to return to kiss with equal fervor and before he knew it Zuko had backed them into the couch and Jee was falling over the arm with the brat landing ontop him. It was only Zuko's hand that kept the sharp ridges of the key from digging into his back, but with a bit of tugging he freed his hand so he could drop the keys among his other gifts.

"Thank you," he said again, smiling down at Jee. "It means a lot,"

There really wasn't anything Jee could say to that, so he laid a hand on the back of Zuko's neck and pulled him in for another kiss.

He supposed that Christmas wasn't as bad as he had made it out to be.

* * *

It was obscenely early, but the airport was fairly busy – Jee hadn't expected so many people to be flying on Christmas day. The light from the glass ceiling was brittle and wintry with thin clouds covering the sun. Zuko shivered a little inside his obscene parka even though they were indoors. He looked a little wan from lack of sleep, but otherwise fine. He had grinned stupidly at Jee upon shoving his keys into his pocket, with the key to Jee's apartment hooked safely onto his key ring.

It was extremely gratifying to know his gift had been appreciated. And it was equally pleasing to see the way Zuko's eyes lit up when Jee had pulled on the supple leather jacket. The brat was so easy to please.

"Your flight is in forty minutes," Zuko said. "You should probably get through security, they'll start boarding soon," The kid had likely been on more planes than Jee and had probably memorized airport procedures years ago.

"Probably," Jee said. He felt a little strange to be going off and leaving Zuko behind. He hadn't had to say goodbye to a lover in a very long time. Hell, nobody other than the idiots he was going to go visit ever saw him off on journeys.

Zuko smiled a little, but he looked sad. _Damn_ _him_, Jee thought. He likely didn't even know what that expression did to Jee.

"Well, have a safe trip, I guess."

"Thanks," Jee said drily. This made Zuko's smile twist into something a little sharper with genuine amusement.

"Sorry. I really do hope you have fun."

"I hope you do too, with your uncle. I'm sure he'll appreciate the chance to monopolize your free time,"

Zuko snorted.

"I guarantee you, it will be just tea and Pai Sho. And I'll have to play with all of his friends," a disturbed look crossed his face. "And I'll have to see Jeong Jeong and Piandao… doing _things_."

By _things_ Jee supposed he meant being discreetly affectionate, much like he and Zuko were in public. In all honesty the idea was a little disturbing to him too, but he really wasn't in a position to talk.

"You'll be fine, just drink your uncle's wine."

"I'll need to," Zuko muttered, before schooling his face in some semblance of maturity and looking up at Jee. "Okay, you need to go get in line for security now, or you'll miss the flight."

Jee was fairly certain that some small part of Zuko actually wanted him to miss the flight, but he couldn't bring himself to even tease him about it.

He wanted dearly to hug the brat, but he wasn't certain how Zuko would deal with the public display of affection. So he settled on squeezing his shoulder.

"I'll text you to let you know when I've landed," he said instead. Zuko bit his lip and nodded.

"Okay."

Jee squeezed his shoulder and then let go.

"I'll see you in a few days. Don't forget to pick me up," he teased. Zuko raised an eyebrow and then widened his eyes as Jee began to turn to leave.

"Uh, that's it?" Jee paused.

"Is what it?"

"That's how we're saying goodbye?"

_Oho_. So the brat wanted a goodbye kiss, did he? Jee smiled a little and turned back to Zuko, who looked a little surprised and largely irritated.

"I didn't think you would want to," Jee admitted.

"Of course I want to!" Zuko said hotly. "You – I – you …"

"Okay," Jee said easily, working to keep the grin from spreading too largely over his face, lest Zuko decide he didn't want a goodbye kiss after all. Zuko stood still as Jee wrapped an arm around his shoulders and dragged him in for a quick kiss.

The arms around his neck when he moved to pull away surprised him, but he allowed Zuko to press a kiss of his own to Jee's lips before burying his face in Jee's neck and hugging him tightly.

The brat was sweet. Jee hugged him back just as tightly.

"I'll miss you," he murmured. He was certain he could feel Zuko blush; indeed, when they broke apart Zuko's good cheek was a healthy shade of red; he slowly let his arms fall as he smoothed his hands over Jee's shoulders and chest.

"I'll miss you too," he admitted softly, his face open and vulnerable for a moment before his brash expression slid back onto his face and he shot Jee a mild glare.

"Don't do anything stupid and have fun," he said sternly. Jee chuckled and kissed Zuko's forehead.

"I won't do anything you wouldn't do. Want me to bring you back a souvenir?"

"I'm not a child," Zuko said firmly. Jee noted that he hadn't said no. "Now go, you're going to be late," Jee kissed him one last time, heedless of any strange looks they might be receiving and walked off to wait in line for security. When he glanced back Zuko was gone. He smiled a little – he hadn't expected the brat to wait around and watch him leave.

It didn't matter anyway, because a week later Zuko was there again, waiting for him.


End file.
